Blacked-owned media company Sunwise Media will produce a documentary series for OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network called Rebuilding Black Wall Street: Greenwood, a project that is being backed by GroupM advertising clients including Domino’’s.
Rebuilding Black Wall Street: Greenwood is the first project resulting from a new strategic partnership between GroupM Motion Entertainment and Warner Bros. Discovery.
The partnership supports GroupM’s Diverse Voices Accelerator, an initiative that supports creators, writers, producer, directors and studio from traditionally underrepresented groups in entertainment.
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Rebuilding Black Wall Street: Greenwood is a six-part series that will premiere on OWN in the fall. It is created by executive producer Ri-Karlo Handy and his company Sunwise Media Inc. Sunwise creates family-friendly original content for African-American viewers and promotes diversity and cultural relevance as an effective marketing tool.
The series will chronicle the reconstruction of the Greenwood District of Tulsa, which was destroyed in the 1921 massacre. Over the course of six episodes, viewers will be guided through Greenwood's rich history and the personal journeys of the cast, many of whom are the descendants of Black Wall Street residents.
"We have a responsibility to create a more inclusive and equitable industry," said Kirk McDonald, CEO, GroupM North America. "This benefits everyone. It empowers content creators who face barriers, provides brands with access to diverse and engaged audiences, and offers viewers authentic programming that captures the richness of the human experience."
In addition to content development, the Diverse Voices Accelerator provides opportunities for support from brands. Projects created under the DVA will be supported by GroupM agencies including Mindshare, Wavemaker and EssenceMediacom, with participating clients like Domino’s (a Mindshare client) and other brand partners, who are committed to diversity and inclusion.
“At Domino’s, it’s important that both our media and advertising reflect the diversity of our customers, our team members and the communities we serve,” said Kate Trumbull, Domino’s senior VP, Brand and Product Innovation. “Through our partnership with GroupM’s DVA program, we are proud to support the creation of original programming developed by a variety of diverse voices in media and entertainment.” ■
